Tongue-Tied
by architecture of destruction
Summary: Rivaille is just a sempai that he has a hopeless crush on, then he somehow finds himself in a sticky situation that actually involves him dating Rivaille, because apparently—for one reason or another that Eren cannot wrap his head around—Rivaille wants to date him. /High school AU, rieren
1. Confessions

A/N: YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND, YOU COULDN'T POSSIBLY UNDERSTAND HOW MUCH I ENJOYED WRITING _THIS_.

Like levi and eren in highschool? I'm a fucking genius. Inspired/based off of the story of Sekaiichi hatsukoi onodera's and masamune's highschool romance ;c; (they should've just made the whole anime about their high school romance bro) personally I liked junjou romantica more, but, well, whatever. Also, I have an itching feeling that Eren is a total _cutie_ when it comes to dating, like in episode 14 he's completely shy around Levi and UGH I JUST CAN SEE EREN AS RITSU OKAY. OKAY. OKAY.

summary: Rivaille is just his sempai that he had a hopeless crush on, then he finds himself in a sticky situation that actually involves him _dating_ Rivaille, because apparently—for one reason or another that Eren cannot wrap his head around—Rivaille wants to date him. /High school AU, rieren

* * *

.

.

; _tongue-tied_

.

.

* * *

He knows damn well that reading all the same books as Rivaille—his sempai and current on-going crush—won't make them magically closer and in love (despite all his fantasies) but he's a fourteen year old driven by crazy hormones and a penis. And Rivaille is hot, stoic, older than him _and_ into books, what else could Eren possibly wish for in a guy?

Oh, right, a vagina.

Well, little things before you start looking at the big picture—right?

"I know what you're thinking about" Mikasa starts off with narrowed eyes as she slams her books in front of Eren, jolting him out of his Rivaille-induced-thoughts. Giving her childhood friend a grim annoyed smile, "can you _please_ pay attention to our project for even a minute?"

"Is he staring at that sempai again?" Armin asks carefully, big eyes blinking up at Mikasa curiously.

Mikasa, seemingly impassive as ever, _barely_ manages to sigh.

"I don't know why you like Levi-sempai so much."

"I—I don't!" Eren defends nervously, moving away from Armin so he can lean over more casually to not-so-casually ogle said sempai across the library.

"How hasn't he noticed?" Mikasa says with a tad bit of a sour tone, "I mean you stalk him 24/7."

"What" Eren screeches, cheeks becoming a suitable rosy colour; "I do _not_."

Armin smiles apologetically, "you watch him _read_, Eren."

_Touche_, he thinks bitterly, sighing as he diverts his eyes from Rivaille that had fallen asleep in the middle of a book he was reading, a magnificent sight if Eren was going to speak his mind clearly. It isn't his fault Levi is so damn perfect, he isn't to blame, he's merely giving love to the beautiful things in his school, just like how he loves Mikasa as a sister. Love the beautiful things in life, a book once told him.

"Why don't you try to talk to him if you like him so much?" Jean, whom had merely been silently observing since they've come to the library an hour or so ago, finally says with an annoyed scowl as he flips through Harry Potter, words blurring in his vision.

Eren shoots him a scandalous look, "are you dumb Jean?"

Ymir snorts, twirling her pen between her fingers before she pauses to fling it close to Jean's face, "of course he's dumb. Have you seen his test results? _All_ D's."

Armin seems to be the only one shocked about this revelation, stratch that—he seems positively terrified for Jean's impending (rather dim looking) future. Eren had already gone back to half-hiding his face behind his Social's textbook to stare at Rivaille for another hour or so, considering he knows Mikasa will get angry sometime soon and drag them both home. Apparently, she doesn't like the way Eren literally eye-fucks the senior on a daily basis.

"Eren stop staring at him." Said woman drawls, an under tone to anger that only Eren can pin-point that leaves him pouting as he reluctantly turns his head (eyes _still_ on Rivaille, though).

"Give him a break, Mikasa," Jean huffs.

Eren's eyes widen—he never expected _Jean_ of all people to aid him in his times of need, he mentally apologizes for all the times he called Jean an idiot, Jean isn't actually all that bad, maybe—

"I mean the kid needs something to jack off to later, right?"

—but everyone makes mistakes in their judgement.

He narrows his eyes and without hesitation thumps Jean's head roughly with that extra large Biology textbook his teacher had handed out on the first day, successfully making all drug-addicts drop-out in twenty flat seconds.

"We're leaving, Eren here," she says sending him a pointed _I'm very disappointed in you, mister_ look as if she's his mother, "can't study with his _distraction_ across from him."

"What's so good about Rivaille-semapi anyway?" Jean sulks, nursing his now bruised forehead whilst sending Eren pitiful looks.

Ymir hums thoughtfully, "he's like a prince, he's _hot_, he's cool and I hear he smells good."

"Yeah" Eren agree's helpfully, cheeks going red and snapping his head to look at Ymir with wide scandalized eyes, "smells good? What? How do you know this?"

"Now, now, don't have a panic attack now. I'm not sleeping with your precious _sempai_."

He lowers his eyes in embarrassment, "he's not _mine_."

"As if you wouldn't kill one of us if we started dating him," Ymir mocks with a roll of her eyes.

Jean looks absolutely livid with this conversation, Armin fearing for his life—because he's sitting beside Jean,—decides to start a new conversation entirely. "I hear our class is combining with a senior class for the festival."

Mikasa stiffens and Armin mentally wishes he _hadn't_ said that because suddenly Jean looks a lot more grim than outraged and Eren is going into some happy land that probably involves a grumpy senior that Armin is personally very terrified of, Ymir laughs at his misery. Openly, may he add.

"Eren has been hoping that they'll be with Levi's class since he's heard of it. Actually, it's _all_ Eren has been talking about for a week." Ymir enlightens Armin, for some reason the blond boy feels rather guilty (because whenever he hears Levi-sempai's name he just runs away) so of _course_ he wouldn't remember Eren chit-chatting about that for hours on end all the time.

Armin sends Ymir a pleading look of; _please fix this mess_.

The black-haired girl blinks at him for a moment, contemplating the cons and pros of actually helping someone for once, before deeming it unncessary because Christa just texted her and Armin is the least important person she can think of.

Ymir makes it a point to ignore Armin.

Armin makes a pitiful sound from the back of his throat as he sinks down at Jean's heated glare directed his way.

"Do you think—"

Jean let's out a mortified angry howl of despair as he bangs his head into the table.

"Eren." Mikasa grounds-out, "_don't_." She punctuates.

"This is a lovely study session and all," Ymir drawls sarcastically, "but Christa wants to see me so later."

Armin waves her a timid goodbye before he pats Jean's head sympathetically. "There there."

Eren suddenly loses interest in looking over behind him and decides to finally par-take in the study session, flipping open his textbook with a defeated sigh.

"What, gorgeous left you high and dry?" Jean grits out.

_All malicious intent intended, huh_? Eren thinks wryly as he nods his head and shrugs his shoulders, pulling out his notebook—despite the fact they've already been here for a hefty amount of time—his arch enemy, Jean, merely howls in disbelief from hearing his assumption is actually _correct_. The lithe blond of the group sympathetically pats Jean's dirty blond locks, giving Eren a pleading look to just drop all conversation involving his precious _sempai_.

He definitely takes back any thoughts of thinking of Jean as a decent person. Actually, he's been wondering for awhile _why_ he's friends with Jean. Sure they like to have little spats over practically every breathing thing, but sometimes Eren does legitimately find himself wanting to _honestly_ commit homicide. Jean can just be downright rude and annoying, the only reason they're probably still remaining friends after those three long, long, years of middle school is because they've had Armin to placid them each time they truly fight.

It's a scary thought, really.

But then again Eren does find himself hanging out with violent people more so than not. Take Ymir and Mikasa for example, but then again, having Mikasa hanging around him is pretty much 100% his fault. He did after all convince his parents to adopt her and made her pretty much head-over-heels for him because of that. He is in the end, her one and only hero.

Ymir is just a nut-case that no one can get rid of. Except maybe Christa, but Eren doubts that.

"I'm not the only one with a stalkerish crush," Eren finally huffs out, sounding annoyed and about fed up with his friends attitudes towards his crush on Levi sempai. "Haven't you seen Armin following Annie around? Cute. Both blonde."

"Really?" Jean asks with wide eyes, honestly surprised Armin could feel any sexual neediness from well, _anyone_. Armin has always seemed like an angel to him, bright, cheerful and that weak kind that die way too early.

"Eren!" Armin squawks in disbelief. That had been a _secret_ between them!

Eren diverts his eyes, not sympathetic in the least for letting the cat out of the bag. Actually, he smirks wolfishly as he leans towards his childhood friend, "he even gives her anonymous love notes sometim—"

"Hey guys" a monotonous voice says, sending round-a-bout terrified eyes on Annie.

Mikasa is the first to recover from the internal shock, "hey."

Armin sinks lower into his seat as Jean let's out loud whopping bouts of laughter.

The blonde girl seems rather confused, narrows her eyes briefly, but shrugs her shoulders and throws herself into the seat Ymir had just earlier occupied. She looks curiously at Eren whom is _actually_ doing work for once in his life instead of staring at that senior—what's his name again? She thinks—before she opens her mouth, the question coming and followed by Jean's cry of despair, "where's Eren's crush?"

Mikasa shakes her head in dismay.

Armin offers a sheepish smile to the girl he apparently stalks as badly as Eren stalks Levi, "don't ask."

"Please." Jean adds helplessly.

Eren glares at them all.

.

.

.

* * *

The thing about living with Mikasa isn't that she's bossy—okay, yeah, she is—but she's possessive.

There is very few days Eren can get away from Mikasa after school so that he can spend his time looking for the books that his sempai had read so he can read them and sign his name dutifully underneath his, it's stupid and foolish and possibly even childish. But he feels _closer_ to Rivaille this way, he feels close to him in a way he _knows_ they'll never actually be. He can't even imagine them being friends, let alone _lovers_.

(Though sometimes he does sit down and day-dream of the possibilities, Rivaille hugging him, Rivaille spooning him after they just made love for the 3rd time that night. He can see it, arms coiled around his waist as they snuggle into the pillows—Eren's cheeks red as the flashing street lights, body as warm as Rivialles. They'd wake up in the morning, groggy and blissful after last nights activities and then Eren would make them breakfast, because he would want Rivaille to eat his cooking—and only his cooking, Eren's parents would tease them and Mikasa would grumble but be so, _so_ happy for him underneath her tough exterior.)

But like all dreams, it ends.

Absent-mindedly he reaches for the latest book he had seen him reading yesterday at the study-session that Eren didn't really do all too much studying at, little details though, little details. Wholly, the concept for him for that study session was to stare at his sempai and possibly piss off Jean a bit (mission accomplished, yippie).

He touches the spine of the book, eyes going wide as a bolt of electricity runs throughout his body, leaving little prickles to stab his skin, for a second he thinks maybe—just maybe—he was stricken by lightening, then he thinks, _no, no, what is the probability of that? I'm inside the school..._ then his eyes drift to look to his fingers, realizing quickly as he tugs his hand back as if someone just slapped him, that someone has _touched_ him, then, he see's the object of his admiration standing right beside him.

_He touched me_.

A simple thought that leaves him bowing his head at the senior with a red face, red ears, and a dull tingling sensation.

He never really expected to be _so, so_ close to Rivaille to be honest, unsure to act, he ends up muttering the first words that fall from his lips, "Levi sempai," he mostly whispers, the name apparently jolting said sempai to look at him with mild-shock that's concealed just as quickly.

"How do you know my name?"

"Ah—I—I..."

_Don't mess up—_

"S—Sempai, I... I like you."

—_Oh well, fuck that idea._

Eren's never really had tact, if he really, really, thinks about it for a split second. He pauses for a moment, almost shocked he had to say _that_ out of the things he could've fucking said. He let's his eyes become wide, looking up frighten-ly at Rivaille, who's showed absolutely no reaction to his words, eyes still looking down at him as if his very existence is a pain—and at this moment, he's sure it is—before,

Rivaille _pats_ his head. A low ruffled chuckle escaping the elders lips within a moment, leaving Eren stunned on spot.

_He laughed._

_He laughed._

Ensue mini heart-attack out of sheer panic.

"Then..." Rivaille says blandly, almost monotonous, but he seems hesitant all at the same time, "want to go out with me?"

There's a lot of things Eren never expected to get out of life—because life is crappy and is cruel, right? Well, life has been nothing but crappy since he was seven or so, so considering the dark path that started out then, he just assumed most things he wanted would never, never, never be presented to him. But life generally has this habit of fucking with Eren's head.

And having Rivaille—please understand Eren's been crushing on him for _three_ long, long years now—ask him out after his rather sudden blunt confession, he wasn't expecting this. Not one bit. He was kinda thinking he'd be given the disgusted look of "are you gay?" and then his crush would leave him utterly heart-broken. Maybe life loves him after all.

_Fat chance_ he can hear life chanting in the background, but he chooses to ignore it and preferably ducks his chin to his chest.

"O—Okay."

.

.

.

Eren comes from a nice rich family.

Sure his mother had died when he was seven and that kind of fucked with his head for the longest time, but people _do_ recover with time—though they never tell you that the tiny scars are left with each recovery—but his dad is pretty great, and Mikasa pretty much has taken up the roll of his mother ever since her death. Not greatly appreciated, but he chooses to ignore simpleton things like such. And sure he has pretty rocky relationships with his friends and low-self confidence—but; he has a decent life.

Simple, uncomplicated, there's rules he follows and his father and him stay on good terms.

That's kind of where Eren complicated things; sure his dad has never out-right gone _I hate gays_, but Eren has heard his father call out "_those fucking queers_!" at the TV when cases as such present themselves.

Mikasa is also his fiancée, even though neither really take it seriously. Except maybe his entire family.

So, maybe, Eren is the only one that doesn't consider them _truly_ engaged—because, really? who does arranged marriages any more. Sure his family is a well respected and highly opinionated hospital centre with businesses all over the world—_sure_, he get's it. Only son, he has to inherit stuff like this and produce mini-Eren's to keep the lineage going.

Problem in paradise:

1) Mikasa—despite how beautiful she's become, is like a full-blown sister. That's just—_ew_

2) He's helplessly in love with Rivaille

3) He's gay—oh, right, _gay,_ fag, homosexual, dick-up-the-ass and moaning gay

He can see a few bumps in the lovely path his father had attempted to paint out for him. It's a shame, really.

It's moments like these he wishes his mother was back, she was the most opened minded person he can think of, lovely, kind, elegant. She was absolutely the centre of his universe. She _was_ everything Eren had. Mikasa is supportive, in her own weird way, she's not as soft-worded and doesn't stroke his hair right before he goes to sleep, but she's kind and gentle in her own ways.

Though he has an itching feeling this won't be her favourite news.

He's not exactly sure how she'll deal with it considering Mikasa for some odd reason (her and Levi had gotten in a fist-fight in second year middle school, punches and kicks over some disagreement they had in the student council) has a clear disdain opinion of Rivaille. Which is putting it lightly because Eren remembers reading her diary (some things are better not to know why they were done) and there was lovely curses that he had never even _thought_ of written around Rivaille's name in lovely bold red.

Rivaille isn't her most favourite choice of man in the world, and Eren _is_.

_Danger danger, approaching Mika-beast's room._

He visibly gulps in fear.

_Maybe I'm over-reacting_, he thinks helpfully as he pushes open the door timidly, shuffling closer and closer until he's standing behind Mikasa who's diligently writing up a report due tomorrow for her Socials class.

"Yes?" She asks, not stopping the constant _click clack_ of the keyboard underneath each of her padded fingers.

_It isn't like she's going to kill me—if anything she'd kill sempai—oh wait, no, bad. _

"S—something good happened."

_I mean maybe with him dead I can move on..._

_oh right, I'm dating him now._

_Dating._

_Dating—_

_I'm datin— "_I'm dating sempai."

Mikasa's fingers still in mid-air.

"What?"

_She's angry._

Well, honestly, that was his number one most predicted reaction.

_Rational, we are technically engaged_.

"Uh... yeah."

She pauses, inhales, exhales.

Continues typing.

"How did this happen?"

"Well..."

_Our fingers brushed, I had a mini-panic attack and blurted out that I like him and for some fucked up reason he asked me out, maybe he pitied me or thought I'd be a good fuck—oh well—I don't think being used by sempai would be all to—anyway, point is, I have no idea and things are kind of all over the place and could you not skewer him with you blades in your closet? I kind of like sempai alive. You know? I don't know—I just don't dig dead bodies—_

He blinks. "Oh well, cheesy meeting he chuckled—his voice is very nice when he chuckles—and asked me if I want to go out with him after my blunt confession." Putting aside his mental breakdown because Mikasa's aura has gone from semi-hostile to full-on-hostile, Eren takes a step back. "He walked me home." He adds on, hopefully adding some '_Ravialle isn't a total waste of oxygen_' points. Never know, Mikasa might have a sudden change of heart and decide she likes her enemy better alive.

You know, options.

Even better; she could suddenly kidnap Rivaille and Eren could have his way with his sempai every night.

Mikasa slams her mouse a bit _too_ roughly.

"Oh, is that so?"

_Doesn't sound like she had a sudden change of heart, damn. _

"Uh... yeah."

She kind of twitches, "did he kiss you?"

Squawking a loud embarrassed, "w_hat?!_"

He's still working on the whole 'be-in-the-same-breathing-space-as-Rivaille' thing.

Mikasa seems less hostile for a moment.

_Bless oh holy Jesus._

"So... do you think he likes you?"

He's pretty much certain if he didn't slap his lips shut that very moment he would've blurted out; _don't know, don't care!_ before running off into the sun-set laughing haughtily, because really, just having Rivaille labelled as his 'boyfriend' is pretty damn good in his books.

"Ummmmmm" he drawls awkwardly as he backs up slowly so not to alert any of Mikasa's ninja skills, "maybe? Probably?"

He bolts the room the moment Mikasa sharply turns around with a mortified, "probably?!"

.

.

.

He hadn't actually expected anything to change when Rivaille and him agreed to start going out. The word '_boyfriend' _still makes him hyperventilate.

He was proven wrong.

Very, very, wrong.

He was going to lay low for a few days with Rivaille, because a ruffled Mikasa is a violent Mikasa and Eren kind of likes his boyfriend alive and stuff, so he was going to wait until Mikasa wasn't bringing her daggers to school—

Rivaille apparently has different ideas.

It started normal enough, sitting at the library after school with Jean, Mikasa, Ymir, Armin, Christa and Connie. He started out with some book, nose barely hovering over the top of the book as he stared in the general area where Rivaille _should've_ been, then it happened—a strong hand clasped on his shoulder—making him literally scream in an oddly silent library flooding with people.

Rivaille didn't exactly look impressed, per say.

"O_—_oh, s—sempai" he stutters, green emerald eyes kind of shaking because he was wondering _why_ on Earth was Rivaille standing behind him instead of being in the place where Eren generally likes to stare at him.

Then it all clicks in place;

_Right, boyfriend_.

Rivaille lifts a fine brow to his stuttering, decides not to comment for the better, then plops himself comfortably beside Eren without a word.

The whole table stares.

"Eren somehow convinced his oh so _lovely_ sempai to go out with him." Mikasa snaps into the deathly silence.

"Oh!" Christa lights up, seemingly _happy_ with the revelation. "Congratulations Eren—" her lips turn down and she seems worried, "—your methods _were_ ethical... right?"

Ymir barks out her congratulations, before laughing uncontrollably.

Jean seemingly gone into shell-shock kind of flops onto Armin's lap sobbing like a wounded lap dog.

"Of course they weren't ethical" Connie says with a click of his tongue, "this _is_ Eren we're talking about. So, Levi sempai," he says leaning in with a predatory grin, "did he brainwash you? Threaten you?"

Rivaille seemingly amused by his friends assumptions hums thoughtfully, side-glancing Eren with curiosity, "he doesn't seem like he's the type to _brainwash_ me."

"He is" Ymir says haughtily as she leans onto her elbows. "The boy has an attitude, he's just shy around you cause he's stalked you fo—"

"OKAY" Eren booms, cheeks flaring as he bangs his textbook onto Ymir's hands, receiving a disbelieving cry of pain followed by many heartless death threats.

"Since middle school, I know," Rivaille says, kicking his feet onto the table and leaning back, smirking behind Eren's head, "maggot here isn't very discreet with his staring."

"_Maggot_" Mikasa repeats in utter disbelief. "You two are _dating_."

"Awww they have nicknames for each other already," Ymir coo's falsely. "Calm yo' tits Mika-bitch, Levi is pretty rude to generally the whole human race."

"Mikasa it's fine," Eren says soothingly as he pats her head, trying to calm her down before there really is causalities. He's guessing Ymir is going to soon enter the league of 'things Mikasa will kill tonight', though, Eren has an itching feeling just _maybe_ Mikasa has a soft spot for Ymir, despite her obvious attitude problems.

(But then again Eren is starting to think Rivaille has attitude problems, now that he thinks about it... doesn't everyone he know have a bit of an attitude problem (himself not included)).

Jean seemingly reviving from the dead jolts back to life, lively and annoying as ever (in Eren's highly educated opinion), the first words he manages to choke out in a half-yell half-defeated-sob, "I won't support this!"

Eren's left brow twitches, "fuck off, I didn't _ask_ for your permission."

"Shut up short fuck" Jean whines in grief, jabbing his finger straight into Eren's chest, "you're my friend so therefore you _must_ get my approval!"

"They can date without your permission," Connie grumbles as he leans into his hand. Jean merely glares at him, efficiently shutting up the bald one.

Eren sticks out his tongue, "I'll deal with Mikasa complaining but you can take your complaints to my fucking ass, Jean."

Rivaille snorts behind him.

Ensue the third heart-attack he's had in less than 24 hours.

_Right, boyfriend behind me._

_fuck_

_fuck_

_fuck_

_This is your fault, stupid fucking Jean_, he makes sure to send all possible hostility radiating towards Jean because _dammit_ now he looks stupid, in front of Rivaille of all people. Sweating visibly, he quiets down and hangs his head.

_Don't make a fool out of yourself_.

"And I thought he was a super shy kid."

_Sempai doesn't sound very disappointed_, he blinks a few times, timidly looking to the side to see Rivaille rocking his tipped chair with the balls of his feet pressed against the side of the table. Rivaille's eyes meet his, not really changing, nor does he smile all lovingly towards Eren like you see in those stupid shojo manga's—but there's something; maybe he's imagining things, but there's this _glint_ in Rivaille's eyes, like a predatory gaze that leaves Eren turning his head, cheeks heating up to an ugly temperature as he wrings his hands nervously in his lap.

Mikasa narrows her eyes on them after the fraction of the second is gone between them.

"I told you, attitude problems this kid has."

"As if you should say that," Connie grumbles underneath his breath, jumping back when Ymir attempts to maim him.

"Well," Rivaille says blandly as he slowly stands on his feet, dipping his head so it's beside Eren's ear, low and with a small breath, "I'll see you later?"

Eren jolts upright, head bobbing a million times in agreement, hoping to dear god he doesn't look like he had just ran across the world naked, because he's pretty sure his face is _literally_ on fire.

And oh god—he can _feel_ Rivaille's breath on his neck.

Rivaille smirks, hands pressed into his pants pockets as he strolls leisurely—and cockily—out of the library and towards wherever his beloved sempai goes after school.

Eren's mind temporarily implodes and everyone stops existing.

That is until Jean opens his big fucking yap, "well... this has been an exciting day."

_And I should stab you for making me look bitchy in front of sempai_.

Though that'd be hypocritical because honestly, he's nagged Mikasa on multiple occasions that killing is a 'no-no', maybe he should conveniently change that rule so Jean can die. But then—cross that—Mikasa would just kill Rivaille instantly.

Choices, choices.

"Who would've thought that the bitchy sassy rude prince, Lance Corporal Levi would show interest in _Eren_, Eren of all people." Ymir drawls.

Eren glares.

"I know," Armin says after not talking—because Rivaille sempai is too scary—the petite blond boy blinks, seemingly confused on how it even happened. "I feel like tomorrow the world will end or something."

"I _know_, right?" Connie voices in a scratchy voice, "I mean, Eren's dating the guy he's stalked for like—three years? And said guy _knows _and doesn't care."

"I didn't even know Eren was capable of making coherent sentences in front of Levi sempai..." Armin hums, deep in thought.

Eren's scowl worsens.

"I'm just so happy for him," Christa says, making the conversation turn a whole one eighty and into something actually _good_ (Christa always has that effect), she smiles brightly and Ymir bitterly grumbles her agreement of how she's _oh so happy_ for Eren.

"I'm not." Jean grumbles grumpily, rubbing his forehead into the table.

"I... _don't_... care." Eren says sweetly, making sure to punctuate every word so Jean can understand despite his idiocy.

"Gee, thanks."

"Oh... Mikasa, why do you... Um—Mikasa—" Armin squeaks nervously when Mikasa's chair is pushed back with a resistant screech from the object, leaving everyone to look at the black-haired girl currently tightening her grip around the blade she had managed to slip into school and Eren curses himself for not checking her bra (but, really?) before standing up and soothing her back into her seat.

"Calm down," Ymir laughs out, and Eren instantly knows he's not going to like whatever Ymir is about to say, "they haven't even _kissed _yet."

"Ymir!" Christa hisses underneath her breath when Mikasa rises again and practically _marches_ forward with Eren and Armin each clinging onto a leg to stop her.


	2. Hero

A/N: Awwwe someone figured out what I was trying to hint in the first chapter. _Damn_. BUT CONGRATS YES YOU GUESSED RIGHT (the person will know what I'm talking about in a moment), _anyways_ the problem is why does everyone think this is a one-shot? this is multi-chaptered, fyi. AND no, this will not follow the plot of Sekaiichi hatsukoi.

It's just I stole some ideas from the anime, that's about it. Also I decided I'm going to make this story really fucking dramatic and riddled with lies and people crushing on people and blah, _blah_ but—I'd like if people put there guesses in what's going to happen, it excites me when sometimes people get it right, also I'm looking for a beta-reader, has to be someone that has ungodly hours and doesn't mind me chatting with them excessively. MUST HAVE GOOD GRAMMAR AND SENTENCE STRUCTURE AND LIKE GAY MEN, ONLY REQUIREMENTS REQUIRED, LOL i'm looking for more than one beta-reader, soooo! Yeah. Okay. Here's the story.

corrected by my beta-reader: chibi-onna1 3

* * *

.

.

;_ tongue-tied_

.

.

* * *

He isn't jealous.

Well—that's what he tells himself as he crouches down behind a large bookshelf, eyes narrowed into slits as he watches Rivaille leaf through a large book, stopping every minute or so to lean into Eren's side and show him _something_ in the book, Eren smiling shyly as he stutters out a _cute_ response, voice pitched and words chosen wisely.

Jean snaps his pencil in half, Mikasa hisses at him to _be quiet_ and they're both staring at the newly named couple again in silence.

Mikasa is the one who for him to join her in her stalking the _Rieren_ couple (he stabs and crosses out the name in his mind, cleansing himself of the coupled name) and Jean had agreed because he wanted to watch Eren crash and fall, Rivaille would dump him realizing they aren't meant together and that will be that.

(Except he refuses to admit how nice they look together).

And dammit, he _isn't_ jealous of how Rivaille is brushing their shoulders together, how cute Eren looks with his cheeks flushed as he shakily turns the pages in his book, before once in a while he'll light up and show Rivaille, and Rivaille will give a _half-_smile because oh no—the guy can't smile normally; and Eren will laugh softly, little bells ringing throughout the silent library.

He isn't jealous.

But then again, Mikasa doesn't look really all that pleased with the turn of events, either. Apparently everybody was placing bets that they just wouldn't work, because truly—Eren is soft (sure he sometimes attacks Jean like a wild animal) but he's kind and doesn't really use vulgar words, plus he's _tall_ and obviously the uke. Then there's that fucking upper-class man: short, rude and anything but kind. Jean is hell-bent on believing that a relationship between the two of them cannot work out, and it's his job as Eren's self-proclaimed _Third_ Best Friend to stop this before Eren ends up heartbroken.

"Let's go," Mikasa says, voice laced with hurt and the emotions look so _raw_ in her eyes, flickering to life in ways Jean knows he shouldn't know exist. Mikasa has always been the strongest person he knows, she's almost like a brick wall—the pillar that stands tall despite the circumstances, no matter how big the waves that try to drown her. She stands tall, she always comes through. But then he knows that Eren must be something like an exception to her, he's heard of the story from Armin, how Eren is Mikasa's _Hero_, the notion had left an uncomfortable feeling in his stomach as Armin explained, fingers clutching at his bangs as he screamed into the stormy air.

Jean was disturbed, sure, hearing the guy he has a bitter-sweet crush on had killed two men to save Mikasa; then when they were done, bloody hands had wrapped a red scarf—the scarf Mikasa wears all the time, no matter how hot or cold—around her neck, and brought her home with him. Giving her purpose, giving her a new life after the death of her parents after the almost death of her.

Eren is her hero, her red—but so daringly _beautiful_—hero.

He thinks for a moment she's going to scream, going to break down and leave Jean awkwardly trying to comfort her. Except there's nothing, her eyes are blank again and she's covered her emotions, sealing them behind years of yearning and pain.

"They won't last," Jean tries to say—_was he trying to comfort her, or himself?—_and Mikasa looks down at him with disregarding eyes, before her eyes look back up at Eren, emotions swirling in her eyes and he can't pin-point even one of those strong emotions in her eyes.

"Really?" She whispers, "they look good together."

He finds himself looking up at Eren, following her pained gaze as the boy that both of them love points something out in his book, indiscreetly leaning into Rivaille's side with bright, sparkling eyes of adoration.

_I'm not jealous_, he tells himself as he gets up to leave with Mikasa.

"I'm jealous," Mikasa murmurs softly when they're outside, without umbrellas in the pouring rain.

Jean looks at her from the corner of his eye, refusing to point out that maybe the water dripping from her eyes isn't from the rain and—

"Yeah." He grumpily replies, pretending he doesn't realize she's coming undone in front of him and he really wishes she didn't.

_I'm not jealous_, he whispers again in his thoughts, _I'm happy for him_.

But jealousy is a monster, green, large and ugly.

"But I'll support him." She huffs out, pulling her scarf over her mouth. "No matter what, I will."

He hears the unspoken promise of _I'll protect him_.

And he wonders who needs saving more, Eren or Mikasa right now.

.

.

.

* * *

Eren had almost forgotten that Rivaille is one year older than him and knows people who Eren doesn't even know exist.

Like the pony-tailed brunette chick currently putting her chin on Rivaille's shoulder, glasses glistening as she purrs haughty whispers into _his_ sempai's ears. He thinks maybe he should proudly tell her 'we're dating, fuck off and stop touching him!' but then decides against it because Rivaille is allowed to have friends touch him (Mikasa touches him plenty). Then the moment between the girl and his sempai is done, Rivaille pushing her face away with a condescending look on his face.

"So anyway," she purrs happily, hooking one arm around Eren's neck and tugging the boy into her small cleavage, "you're the cutie stalker, right? Eren Yeager. I'm Hanji Zoe."

Eren is about to smile, say _oh are you sempai's friend_? but he's tugged right out of her odd embrace and into Rivaille's wide firm chest. He flushes, stills and looks hesitantly at Rivaille.

Said male scowls at Zoe, "Go away, Hanji."

She looks mockingly hurt, before she's cuddling up into Eren's chest (only to be pushed away from him by Rivaille) and Eren pauses, cheeks becoming redder when he thinks, _is he jealous_? Because that can't be it—why would Rivaille be jealous over something someone does to _him_? He's pretty sure sempai doesn't even like him, let alone have the need to get jealous over people being around Eren.

Hanji narrows her eyes, huffing moodily before crossing her arms over her chest, "no need to be so over-protective—but at least he's cute, are you _sure_ you don't want to bring him to our class during lunch so he can meet everyone? Auruo would just _love_ him," she drawls sarcastically and Rivaille moves Eren so he's standing behind him slightly, and Eren muses at the idea of his boyfriend looking like a ruffled cat trying to protect its children.

"Go away, Hanji."

"You don't need to get so angry!" She chimes, "but seriously you have to introduce him to Irvin—he's been bothering me to bother you to introduce the cutie."

_Sounds complicated_, Eren thinks dully, wondering why this Irvin guy couldn't just bother Rivaille himself.

Her lips curl upwards, almost tauntingly, "or maybe you decided to date cutie to make Irvin jeal—"

"I told you to leave." He cuts her off smoothly, and Eren looks at Rivaille with worried eyes, _make who jealous_?

Sure he's pretty sure that Rivaille doesn't like him—he's just thankful Rivaille even thought of dating him—but if anyone caught whiff that Rivaille is only dating him to make some other guy jealous, Eren is absolutely sure he wouldn't be able to stop Armin and Mikasa from plotting some sort of wicked revenge—and _maybe_, his heart is crumpling into a ball of despair, because it's probably true—he can't think of any other reason why Rivaille would want to date someone like himself.

"Aw poor cutie," Hanji says, walking around Levi to pinch Eren's right cheek, smiling a small smile, soft and almost—is that _pity_?—his heart thumps painfully, "You shouldn't let him mess with your feelings."

This time Levi does react violently, grabbing her arm and pushing her away, "Zoe, I told you to leave. Stop bitching out your nonsense."

She huffs, snatching her arm back before waving goofily, seeming as if she hadn't just said things that left Eren curling into a ball of distaste in his own mind; he smiles softly, grabbing his book and dipping his head down to catch Rivaille's eyes. "Maybe I should go...?"

Rivaille doesn't reveal any emotions he may be feeling, and Eren knows that even if the world was ending his sempai would probably look as impassive as ever. He refuses to let his bitter emotions show through his face, he's just as good at masking his emotions as anyone else.

"Don't think much of what she said," Rivaille hisses finally, sounding disgusted with himself for saying these words, "She's just throwing out bullshit to see how you react."

Eren blinks, _is he... worried?_

There are two possibilities as to why he's worried, though: it could be because he still wants to use Eren, or it could be because he doesn't want Eren to actually believe lies like that.

Rivaille finally meets his eyes, emotions that Eren cannot define swirling in his eyes.

"Plus you made me agree to go to that movie with you, don't just change your mind when it's convenient for you, brat."

_He's worried about me changing my mind about dating him—_

A mere second and he's already melting over Rivaille again, all thoughts about his sempai using him floating into nothingness until it's dispersed into the air. He nods, cheeks flaring up as he finds himself slipping closer to Rivaille's form, trying to keep the smile threatening to spill over under control. But how can he? Rivaille—even if it is just a tiny, _tiny_ bit—likes him, just slightly, but he does.

(_Maybe it isn't love, but being liked is good enough)_.

.

.

.

When they get to the movie theatre Eren's hands are already starting to become as slick as a man who just worked out for _hours_—and he's pretty sure he squeaked at the very beginning of each of his sentences—because this is their first _official_ date. If Rivaille noticed, he hadn't pointed it out, face just looking as grim as ever as Eren leads them (albeit a bit excitedly, he does want to see this movie), to some corny romance comedy film that somehow turns into a stripper/action movie in the middle. Rivaille isn't excited, nor is he nervous, and Eren is beginning to wonder if Rivaille is really just a robot covered in human skin.

"You've heard of this movie, right?" Eren beams happily, fumbling with his drink and blushing and stuttering out his thanks when Rivaille grabs it from his hands without so much as a word.

Actually... Eren eyes the senior from the corner of his eye, realizing that Rivaille had taken Eren's bag _and_ his soaking umbrella, carrying the objects since they've gotten there.

He blushes, lowering his head wondering if maybe Rivaille _is_ kind of nervous, his sempai has been a bit more quiet (than usual) since they've arrived.

"Well..." Rivaille says hesitantly, dark silver eyes narrowing at the large red words above the entrance of the theatre, "I've heard Erd and Hanji speaking about it."

_So he is friends with her,_ Eren thinks, blinking curiously, they didn't exactly _seem_ like friends when he saw them interacting, but then again maybe Hanji is just someone who is hard-headed on the outside but when you're alone with her she opens up to you—he doubts this, but,—Rivaille leads them to a seat somewhat closer to the back, folding his jacket and placing it on the back of the seat, _odd,_ Eren thinks, sitting down just as Rivaille places their bags _neatly_ beside each other beside his own feet.

"Oh," Eren says somewhat squeakily and he curses how his voice seemingly goes a few octaves higher when he's around Rivaille, "Are you always so tidy?"

Rivaille kind of _flinches._

_Oh, _Eren thinks in panic, _maybe I shouldn't have asked that._

"Yeah" the senior says, crossing his arms over his chest and sitting down with glaring eyes, "I have OCD."

Eren smiles, thinking that maybe his sempai having OCD suits him—he remembers watching Rivaille sort the books on the shelf sometimes. When they were too messy, he could see Rivaille's brow twitching from his hiding spots and he had just thought the older teen just loved books too much to see them in such a messy state. It makes sense, and it suits him.

He beams, shifting a bit closer to the others side, "Is that why you were always sorting books?"

Rivaille narrows his eyes, "Why do you seem so happy hearing I have OCD, is this a good thing for you?" He sounds annoyed, but Eren refuses to let Rivaille feel as if the notion of him having OCD will scare him off.

Personally, Rivaille can be a serial killer at dawn and Eren would still be head over heels.

"I just thought it was—" he pauses, distracted by the credits rolling on the screen, blurting out the first word coming to mind, "—suiting, kind of cute."

_Well, _he jolts in realization, a cold sweat washing over him. _That certainly will get his attention_.

There's a looming silence that begins to suffocate them before Rivaille _snorts_, reaching out and grabbing Eren's hand and lacing their fingers together when the movie theatre turns dark.

"You really are a stupid dipshit."

But it doesn't sound like an insult, if anything—dare he say—it sounded endearing.

.

.

.

"You two went on a date last night?" Christa says with sparkling eyes, clapping her hands together and _giggling_ in Eren's stead. "How cute! Don't you two think so?"

Ymir and Armin shuffle uncomfortably behind them, seemingly bitter about not really being able to join the conversation because well—Ymir is about as understanding and sociable as a mental patient (and Eren is pretty sure she escaped from a mental institution) and Armin gets second hand embarrassment from talking about things like this.

And well, pretty much all their other friends are either bitter about the development or just don't do 'girl-talks'.

(Like come on, imagine Mikasa and Annie talking about actual _womanly_ things).

"Yeah, cute." Ymir grunts behind them.

"Cute" Armin echoes shyly.

"So did you two fuck?" Ymir asks blandly after a moment of prolonged silence.

Christa pauses, slaps Ymir lightly on her shoulder as Eren chokes to death at the mention of the word because _uh, no_ and he's not really certain that he could be conscious if Rivaille even made a move to kiss him.

"Ymir don't be so crude," Christa chastises lightly.

Ymir pauses, saying '_yes, Christa, sorry Christa_' (with an obviously fake-goody-two-shoe-smile) before stopping, smiling a really devious looking smile, "So, did ya'?"

"_Ymir_,"

"No!" Eren squawks out, cheeks a blazing red.

"No what?" Mikasa asks—forever having the talent of popping out of nowhere at the worst times—and Ymir gives the black haired girl a lazy smile, throwing an arm around Mikasa's shoulders.

"Don't worry," Ymir drawls, "Eren and that sempai haven't fucked yet."

"Who's fucking—munch_, crunch_—Eren? Eren's dating someone?" Sasha, bless her cotton soul, asks with wide eyes (and _really_, _really_ loudly) as she stuffs one of her five lunches in her mouth, pausing to stare at them all as if she's just witnessed the apocalypse. The hallway falls silent, till Mikasa glares at everyone dawdling to listen in on the conversation and people are swarming through again.

"Where did you even come from?" Armin asks with furrowed brows.

Sasha shrugs, swiping her hands clean on her pants, "So, who's Eren dating?"

"Levi, Lance Corporal, the soccer team, swimming team _and_ archery team's captain." Mikasa says with a dark voice.

Sasha _hums_, pulling out a melted chocolate bar from her back pocket and opening it with a loud _teaaarrrr_—"the guy you hate, Mika?" before shoving the chocolate bar into her mouth whole. "I thought he'd always liked Irvin-sempai or Hanji-sempai... I didn't—_munch_—even know Eren and Levi-sempai knew each other."

"Neither did I," Mikasa agrees, albeit more darkly and viciously.

"Eren used to stalk him, remember?" Armin adds in helpfully.

Sasha pauses in mid-bite, "He did?"

_Wow_, Eren thinks, _the world could be ending and she wouldn't even realize_.

Ymir rolls her eyes, deeming the conversation at its end as he wraps an arm around Christa's shoulders and swipes the other along Eren's. "Alright let's go faggot, we need to go to the gym to have some sort of press conference with the principal and all, gotta report to home room before then, though."

"Let's go Mikasa!" Sasha cheers, hooking her arm with Mikasa's just as the girl is about to say something to Eren and effectively dragging her in the opposite direction.

Armin waves a timid goodbye and makes off on his own way.

"So what did you even do on your date?" Christa whispers excitedly, "Movie? Dinner?"

"Movie" Eren whispers back with flushes cheeks and leaning across Ymir to speak to Christa—making sure the rude (possibly crazy) girl is excluded—Ymir groans, rolling her head back as Christa and Eren start exchanging _date_ ideas. The whole idea is quite a dumb thing to her, what else is there to do in dates but feed them and then fuck them senseless? She must be missing out on something.

After uselessly reporting into their home-room before being hurried out of the room like cattle ready to be slaughtered, Ymir realizes gravely that she's been left to watch as _her _girlfriend giggles and whispers with their most-likely-gayest friend (aside from Armin and Jean—yes, Jean) about shit that shouldn't be allowed to be said from the lips of a male.

"Really you guys kissed on the first date?" Eren asks with astonished eyes.

"Yeah," Christa giggles, cheek pressed into Eren's arm as she sighs in content, "Ymir is really romantic!"

Ymir grunts in approval, because _yes_ she is—despite how rude she is to everyone else existing on this planet—and decides that with nothing better to do, she starts picking out familiar faces from the crowd, she smirks when she sees Annie and Jean discussing something with frowning faces, as Armin shakes in his pants behind them—_they must be discussing Levi sempai's downfall, probably talking about killing him_—because despite how Annie acts, she's quite protective of Eren. She tilts her head to the right, Sasha talking between eating her food and Mikasa smiling at her kindly, a bit fakely, but kindly.

Then—_ah_, she thinks, eyes settling on the seniors and one in particular—Levi sempai.

She blinks in surprise when she catches the midget sempai staring at Christa—and kind of bristles because that bitch should stick to staring at his boyfriend—and Ymir realizes for a split second Rivaille looks _annoyed_ with Christa's very existence. Now, on any normal day if she caught someone being a rude prick and glaring at Christa as if she's killed puppies, she'd go straight up to them and punch them in the face but—

Eren is currently cuddling her girlfriend like she's a plush toy.

It takes a minute for all the dots to connect, _he's jealous_, she thinks with a smug smile crawling onto her lips, watching with interested eyes as Rivaille's eyes darken in dismay when Christa cups Eren's ear and whispers something to him, giggling like a school-girl on her very first date.

"Someone is going to have jealous angry sex on their next date," Ymir grumbles with a joyful smile, feeling a bit better that she was able to witness such a—well, cute thing. She didn't actually think Rivaille _cared_ for Eren.

_Maybe we're all off of the mark_, Ymir thinks, surprised by her own thoughts, _maybe they will be good together_.

.

.

.

"Stop staring at him like a jealous lover who's just found out their husband is cheating on them with the cute hot blonde across the street." Hanji whistles smugly when she catches onto what Rivaille has been staring at for the best two minutes or so with dark, vicious eyes.

"That's a bit elaborate for an example." Petra says, blinking in surprise.

Hanji smirks lazily.

"But _sooo_ true" Petra giggles as she covers her mouth, quickly covering up herself when Rivaille lazily glares at the girls.

"I wouldn't need to if he wasn't clinging onto her like a needy bitch in heat."

"Jealous," Hanji sing-songs.

"Who's jealous about what?" Irvin asks, realizing for the first time Rivaille hadn't acknowledged his existence, a bit busy with glaring at some blonde girl and some brunet junior giggling and holding arms. "Does Levi like her or something?"

"No not the girl," Petra stifles a giggle as she leans towards Irvin, cupping his ear to whisper the rest, "The boy she's with is Levi's boyfriend, Eren, the one we were telling you about."

To this Irvin loses footing, staring at the large clueless looking green eyes of the boy and his fluffy looking brown hair, _taller_ than Levi . "That's... shocking," because Levi has never been one for cute looking people, and technically, Levi isn't one for people at all. When he heard Levi was dating someone, he honestly thought Zoe and Petra were just teasing him like that time in middle school when that kid followed Levi around like a creepy stalker—and, "Wait, isn't that the kid that stalked him?"

"Yup!" Zoe says excitedly.

He pauses, looking at Levi awkwardly, "So... why does he look like he's dating that girl?"

That's about all it takes and Rivaille finds himself snapping completely—_he's_ the one dating the stupid puppy-dog brat—and the damn brat has the fucking galls to do something so stupid as look too cute and cuddly with some cute short blonde girl. Hot jealous rage fills his veins as he marches forward, glaring at the taller black haired girl behind the two cutesy people—isn't she like the blonde girl's girlfriend?—he snorts at her, unimpressed with her inability to keep her girlfriend's hands to herself and off of _his_ boyfriend.

"R-Rivaille-sempai?" Eren squawks, cheeks turning absolutely red and the cute small blonde girl looks absolutely enlightened.

"Oh! We were just talking about you!" Christa giggles kindly, pushing Eren forward and towards Rivaille. "Sweetie, my choice is number 13."

"Thirteen," Eren repeats, not realizing that his boyfriend is seething at the fact that Christa just called him _sweetie_.

"Calm down," Ymir drawls from behind them, "Those two are gay as fuck, I mean Christa is like his girl best friend, they even have girly sleep-over's and—"

Eren promptly shuts her up by slapping a hand over Ymir's mouth, smiling dazzlingly) at Rivaille as if the words '_girly sleep over's_' hadn't been said about him at all.

Rivaille cocks an eyebrow, "Oh no, please continue."

"Oh! Eren looks so cute when he has his hair up in pigtails—"

"—_Christa_," Eren whines, blushing but not physically harming her like he had did with Ymir, Rivaille notes. And then Eren's looking at his crush and _boyfriend_ with pleading eyes, "Can you forget they said that? Please?"

"He really likes to paint his nails black or purple." Ymir notes dully, looking down at her own painted nails. "Sometimes we'll even put _sparkles_ on the thumbs."

Eren glares at her with murderous intent. "Stuff it Ymir, at least I don't research about how to magically grow a penis."

Ymir shrugs, "Guilty as charged—I mean, like, sex with Christa would be much more—"

"_Ymir_!" Christa squeaks.

"—interesting if I had a penis, you know?"

Eren groans, grabbing Rivaille's shoulders and pushing his boyfriend back, "Ugh, please leave," he whispers with flushed cheeks and Rivaille kind of smirks because, _yes_, he looks cute when he's absolutely embarrassed like this. It takes him a moment to remember why he had even marched over here in the first place (causing a bit of a scene because he _is_ Lance Corporal Levi, the captain and aka Satan of pretty much every sports team in the school).

"Alright," Levi says after a moment, lips curling in a slight-smile before falling into their usual impassive state, "but come sit with me, I want to introduce you to Irvin and Petra."

"_Ouuuu_," Ymir drawls, "meeting the boyfriend's friends."

All the juniors who had been eavesdropping reel forward, and Ymir glares at them to go away and leave them the fuck alone because she doesn't want to be involved with jealous non-sempai-girlfriends.

A few rude comments on how _Eren isn't even that good-looking_ later and Rivaille grinds his teeth, seething out a quiet but deadly, "Fucking brats shut your damn traps, do you think I want to hear your dumb-ass commentary? Shut the fuck up and mind your own business."

Which equals absolute silence because Rivaille's word is absolute unless you want to suffer laps and other things that shouldn't even be legal.

Tugging on Eren's hand he leads his _boyfriend_ towards his friends—honestly he didn't want to introduce Eren to his friends in general (maybe because he isn't even sure if he's serious or not) but the thought of seeing the whole school tipping into chaos because Eren is _his_ is quite amusing in its own way, even if he's pretty sure Eren will be getting the brunt of all the swear-words from jealous women.

"Not my fault," Rivaille murmurs underneath his breath as he tugs Eren in front of him and stopping the skinny brunet right in front of Petra, Zoe and Irvin. He eyes the junior, gauging his reactions because the way you greet seniors is _very_ important to Rivaille. Especially considering Irvin is a third year, and quite the idol.

"Ah!" Eren squeaks, cheeks a vibrant cherry red as he practically bends his waist in half, hands shaking in nervousness, "I—I'm Eren Yeager, p—pleased to meet you."

"See!" Zoe chirps excitedly, "I told you they're dating, but don't believe me, _noooo_."

"Aren't they cute?" Petra says smiling ear-to-ear.

Irvin blinks slowly, looking back and forth between Eren and Levi before, "Nice to meet you, Eren. I'm Irvin."

"Oh, Irvin-sempai" Eren says, smiling absolutely _radiantly_ and Irvin has to take a step back because honestly—Eren is one of those shiny-happy-people and Rivaille _hates_ shiny-happy-people to his very core. _Weird couple,_ he thinks, but tentatively smiles back.

"I was quite shocked, how the kouhai who used to follow Levi all the time is now dating him," Irvin chuckles good-naturedly, trying to see how the brunet will react to someone blatantly pointing out that he used to stalk Levi in a round-a-bout way.

Eren ducks his head blushing, "Uuuhhh... yeah... no idea."

Rivaille cocks his head to the side at this, a dangerous smirk on his lips as he narrows his eyes on Eren, "Weren't you the one who just randomly said—"

"Yup!" Eren chirps _extra_ loudly—even earning some glares from the people around them—before he exhales, avoiding eye-contact with every living thing, "No idea."

Irvin pauses, watching how Rivaille just _huffs_ out in annoyance from being _cut off;_ maybe someone who hadn't known Levi since he was wetting his bed wouldn't understand, but one doesn't just simply _cut_ Levi off. In doing so you face horrible, horrible, repercussions (unless you're Irvin or Zoe). But that's because Levi has known them for too long to stealthily kill either of them. But Eren hasn't even been speaking to Levi for like what, two measly weeks?

Irvin has to re-balance himself, because surely the disgusting feeling blooming in his chest is something akin to jealousy.

"That's it?" Zoe says pouting, nudging Levi with her shoulder and staring at Eren with narrowed eyes. "Is he an alien? Or do you actually like him?"

"Zoe!" Petra scolds incredulously.

Eren blinks at her, keeping his feet planted—Hanji Zoe has done nothing but try to rile him up since the moment he's met her. He doesn't blame her either, they're trying to get to know him without being rude to him (even though they are rude) but when he thinks about it, anyone who hangs out with Rivaille-sempai should be at least a _tiny_ bit rude.

"What?" Rivaille asks with narrowed eyes, crossing his arms over his chest and trying to give the vibes to Zoe to just shut the fuck up before he stabs her all the way to the 7th ring of Hell.

"He just cut you off," Zoe explains as if she's talking about air.

"And?"

Eren blinks.

"Is... is it a rule not to cut him off? S—sorry s—sempai I didn't realize you hated—"

"It's fine," Rivaille brushes off, lips curling into a smirk, "you're more entertaining when you're rude, anyway."

"_What_?"

Irvin, Zoe and Petra all blurt out at the same time, wide eyes blinking at the pair. Rivaille just shrugs his shoulders, wrapping an arm around Eren's waist and dragging the underclassman with him towards the gym.

"I think we've just met the Devil," Petra says softly.

"I thought Levi had always been the Devil?"

"No, no, _Eren_, what kind of kid has Levi this smitten?" Zoe answers Irvin with a strained voice, adding the next set of words as an after-thought, "This is weird."

"Weird." Petra agrees.


	3. Famous Actor

a/n: so this chapter was abnormally hard to write because I have so many ideas but I can't just MAGICALLY WRITE THEM ALL AT THE SAME TIME so anyway having beta-readers is really fun, I get to spazz about ideas to them and stuff and thanks Rach noona & Nomi (and Nomi for planning out the chapter with me ;w;) for dealing with mah shit haha sooooo. THANK YOU FOR ALL THE LOVELY REVIEWS, OMFG. You ppl are weird. Everyone keeps saying they're thankful I kept Eren in character (I did, wut?) and I'm glad. Super glad. And thank you all for offering up your souls to be my beta-readers (well the ones that did) I kinda think I made Rivaille one-quarter ooc this chapter... leave me alone.

I'm kind of new to the idea of going over my story with other people and having to ask for them to correct it and stuff, sooo yeah. It's so weird, but I'm kind of grateful, because the three of them are supportive and helpful. Also someone asked me to write about one of Christa's & Eren's sleepovers... yesh. I will. I promise. THAT'S A BRILLIANT IDEA. LOL.

* * *

.

.

;_ tongue-tied_

.

.

* * *

He was hoping today would be a great day, considering this is his second official date with _his_ boyfriend.

The day, however, starts out crappy.

The initial plan had been to sneak out before anyone could realize he's gone—which usually isn't that hard, considering he does need to be up and ready by 6:30 am—and Mikasa generally isn't up until the crack of let's say, apparently, _6 am_. He's starting to think she has Eren-tracking-dating-senses. She's like this when he wants to go out with Jean or Armin, too.

She makes sure to see him off.

Now, when he first lost his mum he had accepted it as her trying to take up the duty of his deceased mother; now it's just plain annoying.

Not because she's been following him around with suspicious narrowed eyes ever since he first woke up and stumbled into the kitchen—no, because she hasn't said a damn thing, just glaring at him and whirling her head around whenever Eren looks down at his phone. Yeah, not exactly the way he wants to start a day that's supposed to be _magical._

_Maybe it's a sign_, Eren thinks begrudgingly, pushing the tips of his fingers onto his temple and snapping out a quick, "What? Stop staring at me."

"Where are you going?"

_Caught_. "What makes you think I'm going anywhere?"

She narrows her eyes, slowly turning around to pour the milk into her bowl of Cheerio's. "You're wearing your _good _outfit today. You usually wear mismatched clothes when you go out with Armin or Jean, so," she probably just pauses for effect but it works, because Eren is looking away with guilty eyes and shifting his feet, "So are you meeting up with that shorty?"

_Okay. Definitely not acting like mum. She's acting like a jealous lover._

Which, technically she is, but one problem at a time.

"Yes." Eren huffs out, grabbing the nearest banana and getting ready to march out of the house—but then manages to redirect his body to the bathroom—he doesn't look at Mikasa because he knows for a fact she's fuming. Just great.

"You were planning to sneak out—"

"No. I was planning to walk out the front door, where we're going which just so happens to be open this early." She narrows her eyes in suspicion, obviously thinking of the worst scenarios possible.

"Eren you need to talk to me before you—"

"Stop treating me like a child," Eren manages to grit out before he slams the bathroom door closed, taking note of Mikasa letting out a roar of frustration and marching back upstairs, not forgetting to loudly slam her own door.

He really should have taken it as a sign.

.

.

.

* * *

It was a brash and sudden decision, the reason they're huddled together in coats that are too thick even for Antarctica, blowing into their hands and watching with mild annoyance as a group of street performers yell excitedly and then the band beside them plays music to match the routine.

Well, to be more direct, it was Eren's sudden decision last night at 9:09 pm, his phone pressed against his ear as he chattered about what they could do this weekend.

With a slip of the tongue, _'Let's go to the outdoor music festival!'_

Which is why they are now standing in the freezing cold watching people do things—and Rivaille doesn't really care because his nostrils are freezing up—that aren't even remotely interesting, and they're here _waaaay_ too early because no food stands are even open yet.

"I'm hungry," Eren whines softly, knowing quite well it is his fault they're here in the first place. He should've just said he wanted to go to the aquarium, something _indoors. _

Pressing his hands together he lets out a long-winded sigh, eyeing the semi-frozen sempai from the corner of his eye who hadn't even bothered to respond to him. "You know," he starts off, looking anywhere but at Rivaille, "We can go to the aquarium..."

"Aquarium?" Rivaille grits out, teeth chattering in a silent way that Eren pretends he doesn't realize.

"Yeah. This is um b—boring...?"

Rivaille eyes him viciously, "You said you wanted to come."

He squares his shoulders forward, tugging his scarf over his nose as he dips his head forward in shame. Truthfully, he's doing this for Rivaille—but he knows the elder has too much pride to admit he's cold (something annoyingly true) and Eren just wanted to live another day with an alive non-freezing boyfriend. Maybe his expectations in life are going too far.

"Fine," Rivaille murmurs softly, grabbing Eren's hand and dragging the brunet closer to him, "Let's go."

The walk to the aquarium is anything but calming, Eren's heart is running a track and he's pretty sure if Rivaille doesn't find him disgusting already, then his boyfriend is weirder than he thought, because he has sweating palms and an ugly voice topped off by a non-endearing stutter. _My nerves are getting the better of me_, Eren thinks grimly as he tightens his hold on Rivaille's hand just a bit—and maybe, just maybe—he isn't imagining that his sempai squeezes back, ever so slightly.

They finally get there and the snowing has subsided to light flakes dancing to their impending death awaiting them on the ground, and Eren begrudgingly lets go of the older male's hand, hands curling into fists at the cooling loss. The walk to the aquarium barely had anyone loitering around because it is only 7 am and most (_normal_, Eren thinks as an add-on) people don't wake up this early, even if they do have work on a Saturday. Though Eren isn't planning on putting his chances on seeing whether or not the aquarium employees are homophobic or not.

They remain silent, elbows brushing against each other with every step as they go to glass windows, Eren making the appropriate sounds of 'awww, ouuu, oh!' for him and Rivaille, considering the senior is merely looking at the deep-sea creatures with tired squinted eyes (that kinda resemble a death glare that would make a toddler piss its pants) as the employees sweep the floors, trying not to give them weird looks because they are two guys at the aquarium at 7 o'clock in the morning—on a Saturday—to make matters worse.

If that isn't exactly suspicious he isn't sure what is.

Though it doesn't really seem like Rivaille gives two-flipping-fucks because he's been walking around, shoulders held high as he—demands—leads Eren around the place, pointing at things but then dragging the kid with a puppy-dog crush on him to a different direction. By the time Rivaille and Eren are done looking at the things in the little ponds and such, Eren's cute—annoying, Rivaille mentally tacks on—questions are finished, they choose to sit down and make a plan.

"It's already 10." Eren murmurs, blinking away the tiredness, "Do you think they have any events today?"

Rivaille pauses, looking absolutely appalled by the idea of probably having to sit down and watch a damn event for two-or-so hours. Eren just pretends he doesn't take note of it, moving himself closer to his boyfriend and holding his hand near his hip, diverting his eyes.

He wasn't, however, expecting Rivaille to quietly slip his own hand into his, concealing their linked fingers with their coats.

"Probably," Rivaille finally grumbles quietly, looking around the area to find a damn sign or something. "Don't they do dumb dolphin or penguin shows?"

Eren slowly raises his shoulders, then lets them fall, smiling to himself as if they're hiding a secret from the world. They aren't really, if someone looked close enough they could see their fingers slipped between each other's like fitting puzzle pieces—he's just pleased; Rivaille had understood him without him even needing to utter a single word.

"Well this is better than that stupid music festival," Rivaille says with a somewhat bitter tone, probably still annoyed that Eren had forced him out into the cold at 7 am only to look at dumb animals all day while Eren asks questions about said animals—Rivaille is starting to think he's dating an idiot—but, even he can admit that the kid's stupidity is _almost_ endearing. Almost.

They end up lapsing back into silence after that, Eren humming to himself in his thoughts (happily, cheerfully and any word that defines just how much Eren adores the level-headed senior) and for once, it is Rivaille who breaks the silence.

"Talk," He demands gruffly, and Eren looks at him incredulously—he always thought Rivaille didn't like him talking, "About yourself."

Eren pauses wondering what he should really bring up, it isn't like his whole childhood is miserable—well, a good chunk of it is—and he doesn't really plan on expressing his life story in the short span they've been dating. So, with a hesitant tone, he starts off with, "I like reading."

Oh, if looks could kill.

"I'm pretty fucking aware of that, kid."

"Hmmm... Mikasa lives with me, my mom died a long time ago and my dad owns this big fancy hospital." Aside from those three facts, there really isn't anything else that defines him—aside from maybe when he killed those two guys—he racks his brain for more, trying to seem more interesting than he really is. "I have to take over the hospital eventually."

Usually people will say 'oh, I'm sorry for your loss' considering he had just said his mom died, but Rivaille completely blows over that fact, instead focusing on—"You live with Mikasa Ackerman?"

_I was hoping you'd want to hear about the hospital and my dead mother. But yeah, whatever, focus on the simplest most unworthy fact_, Eren thinks with mock-amusement.

"Uh yeah... Since we were eight." _I don't really feel like going into detail_, his brain supplies helplessly when Rivaille's hand tightens just a fraction and Eren has a sinking feeling filling his lungs with water—that Rivaille isn't just yet ready to give this up. Which is kind of weird, his rude-boyfriend never shook him as the curious type. "Her parents died and I kind of convinced my dad to take her in, since I found her—" _and killed two guys to save_ _her_ "—so she lives with us. My dad was okay with the idea, 'cause he was happy that he could just engage me to her and no one would question it. 'Cause she lives with us, you know?"

Rivaille nods his head in understanding before they both go still at Eren's little 'slip-up', "Wait, hold on. Engaged?"

Good thing looks can't kill, because Rivaille had taken to swirling his head sharply in Eren's direction, eyes narrowed into dangerous sliver slits, their hands falling apart from the sharp movements.

"Oh... We both don't take it seriously. We think of each other like siblings, really, and she's always acting like my mum." He tries not to look down at his hand, mourning the loss of the heat. Also, cursing himself for his slip-up, he had a feeling mentioning his encounter with Mikasa would lead to a slip-up—he blesses the lords he didn't mention 'killing'—not exactly sure how he's going to go over that bump in the future.

Not that he's willing to scare off Rivaille so early on.

"Plus she and my dad know I'm..." There's a second of hesitation before a small hollow squeak, making sure no one is close enough to hear, "Gay."

It isn't exactly that he's ashamed of being gay—he's really the type who'd beat up anyone having anything rude to say about his sexuality, like say, Ymir—and he generally hangs out with a bunch of homos like himself. Just that, he's really starting to be cautious: it looks like the day will end horribly if he isn't.

Rivaille seems to accept the words, cooling off in a split second from dangerous venomous snake to garden snake that'll only kill you later once it gets a bunch of nuclear weapons. Though, their hands don't rejoin.

"Uh... Is there anything else you want to know?"

"When did your mother die?" His voice isn't hesitant in the bit and Eren kind of flinches at the bluntness of the question, though it is better than Rivaille awkwardly apologizing for his loss.

"Ummm... I was seven."

"I see." A pause followed by a small frown, then, "Sports?"

"Crappy at them!" Eren says brightly, happy to be off of the subject of his mother. Sure it's been years; but she was his pillar, his sun, so it is still a bit damaging that she is gone. "What's your favourite sport, sempai?"

Rivaille clicks his tongue, "Swimming, fencing, kendo, karate... Kick boxing is interesting."

Eren doesn't fail to see that four out of five are violent sports. "Sempai sure is something, being the captain of so many sports."

Rivaille merely scoffs at the wistful tone.

"You sound like one of my fan-girls."

_Well, he really is like a fan-boy_. Rivaille thinks with a scrunched nose.

.

.

.

* * *

Irvin is not happy.

No not because the kouhai he brought under his wing years ago is suddenly dating some stuck-up bright emerald eyed brat, no, no, but because Zoe Hanji is grating on his nerves a bit too roughly, as if she decided 'I'm pissed so I'm going to rub sand paper on your bleeding heart.'

He understands Zoe has a crush on Levi. He gets it, he does—how could he not when she's been drunk and moaning about it all last night with Petra cuddling her?—but he doesn't understand why everyone is so upset about this. Levi has dated plenty of people before the emerald-eyed brat (he refuses to call that shit-face his name) and he isn't jealous.

He's being completely, 100% honest when he says he isn't jealous, because he's never really liked Levi in a romantic way—not exactly. Sure there's that time they were drunk and they gave each other hand-jobs—and Irvin spent a month in fear of his life afterwards—but aside from that he's pretty sure the liking has been done mostly one-sidedly and by Levi.

He's just annoyed that Levi had decided to replace his feelings for him—the school's Student Council President and most awarded student—with some first year whose name is pretty much forgettable on any other occasion.

"It's dangerous to have these types of possessive feelings over someone you don't even like," Mike says with a careful tone into his phone and Irvin's facial expression doesn't change into a the raging emotion like what he feels.

Irvin decides stepping on Hanji's stomach will help get rid of some of the blood curdling emotions.

"I don't feel possessive." Irvin says calmly.

Zoe moans out in pain, turning over onto her side and whimpering. "Did you have to step on me...?" She whines pitifully, Irvin merely glares at her.

Stifling a sigh, "I don't see why we had to do the Student Council meeting at the aquarium." Because changing the topic of the conversation is always the best way to avoid Mike's sharp intuition.

"Irvin, you researched about Eren, right?" Mike doesn't take the bait just yet.

"Yes. He lives with Mikasa Ackerman, is engaged to her—I wonder if Levi knows this?—mother died when he was 7 and he ki—" there's nothing good about gossiping about things to other people, and maybe Er—the kid—isn't really a sociopath, the situation may have been worse than described on file and Irvin, as much as he hates someone, doesn't like to spread facts on peoples personal lives.

Well, usually.

Sometimes he doesn't feel as nice as he does today.

Zoe sits upright at those facts, "He's engaged?"

"Don't get hopeful," Irvin grumbles coldly, "Mike, I'm hanging up."

"I have a hang-over~" Zoe grumbles—sounding quite happy to have a hang-over, honestly—before she's pulling her sweater over her head, and running her fingers through her bangs to make herself look kind of presentable. It doesn't help.

Irvin sighs, "Let's go."

Yes, Irvin knows all he can know about the little child.

.

.

.

* * *

After playing a one-sided twenty-questions with Rivaille, then heading to watch a Dolphin show—which was interesting, but also annoying because they had ended up in the front and were splashed with water—which, Rivaille didn't really appreciate. No, not really. Which leaves Eren to deal with a soaked cat for the rest of the day.

"I'm just going to go to the bathroom and wring out my hair..." Eren says slowly, looking over his short-sulking boyfriend. "Do you...?"

"No." Rivaille hisses out—really; the mental image of a soaked black cat hissing at him with a red ribbon on its ear is all he can think about—"I'm going to dry right here."

_Okaaaay, someone's grouchy_. Probably his fault because he had dragged Rivaille here. He shrugs his shoulders slowly, almost tempted to ask with a hesitant voice, are you sure? but he's pretty sure Rivaille would slice his head off in one clean swipe. Slowly he walks towards the bathroom, keeping his pace even in case Rivaille decides they can have an awkward one-sided fuming dry-themselves-off-session.

Walking into the bathroom turns out to be a mistake, his stomach sinks in a second and he quickly turns around ready to march away from the sight of Irvin holding his hands under a stream of hot-water, the bubbles sliding into the drain. He however, is halted.

"Eren Yeager?"

_Bloody motha fucka—_

"Uhhh... I—Irvin sempai." He grits out with a nervous pleasant tone, trying his best to look like he wasn't just trying to escape the bathroom he just entered because he had seen the blond third year.

_Just great. Fucking great. The guy sempai is possibly using me to make jealous is here, does this mean... _

His heart goes still, the blood in his veins turning into ice at the nagging tone echoing throughout his head.

_He planned this? _

_But then again, that can't be possible_—some part of his brain suggests, the sound quite high-pitched and panicky—_because you brought him here against his will_.

"What a pleasant surprise." Irvin says with a tight-lipped smile that doesn't look very 'pleasantly surprised'; if anything, Irvin looks as annoyed at Eren's presence as much as Eren wants to run away with his tail tucked between his legs, whimpering like a kicked puppy.

"Um, yeah." Has he ever mentioned that he sucks at fake-pleasantries? "Real good to see you, sempai."

Though in his mind he has a middle finger held above the skies as he screams out in a booming voice, _fuck you!_

Such foul language can be used if—and when—Rivaille really does use him.

"I dislike your presence," Irvin says simply, placing his hands underneath the tap once again, Eren practically salutes the man mentally imaging himself holding stance like a solider whilst saying, 'I very much so hate your presence as well. I will leave, sir!' but bites his lip and refrains, instead choosing a hesitant step back and a "Okay...? I'll just—"

"Not here." Irvin snaps back, turning around to look at him with a glare of challenge. "I dislike your presence around Levi."

_Straight to the point, huh..._

Eren shifts uncomfortably, "Oh... Um..."

"I don't expect you to heed my warning and leave him alone." Irvin says with a long exasperated sigh, eyes glinting dangerously as his lips tip upwards, "But you are aware he likes me, right?"

_Oh, ouch._ Eren almost, _almost_, clenches the area just above his heart resisting the temptation to lurch forward and twitch till he's dead on the floor—but, he smiles kindly, emerald eyes sparkling, "Well, that may be so," Eren tilts his head mostly for the effect and the deadly frown forming on Irvin face as he continues, "But there's always a chance he doesn't like you and likes me—that, and I can just simply show him I'm more worth liking."

With that he turns on his heel, chin propped into the air as he stomps out—not giving Irvin—_the hot head jerk!_ Eren seethes in his mind—a chance to apologize or retort (most likely retort). With heavy stomps he rounds the corner, still absolutely soaking wet, to yet again be greeted by another ugly unwelcome sight that leaves him ducking behind a pillar with narrowed eyes.

_Why the fuck is Hanji here too?_! Maybe he really should've guessed today would be crappy when it started with Mikasa's furious seething and then the freezing cold and then Rivaille's snappy attitude.

On a usual day—but today is anything but that—he would've just walked straight up, said hello to Hanji, grabbed Rivaille's arm and excused them both to go look at some chubby ass penguins. But he pauses, taking in how Hanji is holding paper towels to his boyfriend's hair and rubbing his boyfriend's hair dry. The most surprising aspect is his boyfriend is letting her do what she wants, even having the ghastly guts to blush like an embarrassed school girl (okay, he's not but he's really angry he has faced enough strong head-on emotions this week).

Gripping the wall, he fails to realize the demon creeping up behind him.

"Jealous?" Said demon hisses haughtily, hand clamping down onto Eren's shoulder to keep him staying still. "Hanji likes him too, and they've slept together. Jealous?"

_No need to ask again, asshole_. Eren pauses, looking over his shoulder to glare at Irvin.

"And if I am? It won't change the past." Brave words for someone who doesn't believe them himself, he sighs mentally, shaking off the hand to march forward—he could just intercept, he is Rivaille's boyfriend, the word isn't just for show.

Rivaille seems happy when Eren comes crashing down in the empty seat beside him, arms crossed and pouting.

"I saw Irvin sempai." He seethes out—his tone sounding curious and peppy—he pauses for effect, looking over at Hanji, his eyes widening, "Oh! Hanji sempai!"

She pauses, retracting her hand and giving the towels to Rivaille, a sheepish shameful smile on her lips. "Oh... Eren."

Rivaille, probably just for show and to get both the strolling big-headed blond and the sheepish—slut, whore, but he kind of forgives her—senior tenses when his boyfriend throws an arm around his shoulders, pulling Eren in close to him.

"We're going to my house." Rivaille says with a straight-to-the point bland tone. "So get lost, Hanji."

Irvin pauses behind the short grumpy senior, and Eren manages to look over his shoulder to smirk at him as Rivaille pulls him away.

.

.

.

* * *

It strikes him right before they step onto the drive way.

_Oh... I'm going to—_

Oh fuck.

Suddenly his feet are planted on the ground, eyes going wide as he gazes up at the large pristine white picket fence. Truthfully he kind of expected something like a prison, or maybe a boot-camp considering his boyfriend's straight-up attitude.

Rivaille catching onto his hesitation narrows his eyes, "Are you nervous, brat?"

"Yes" he frowns at himself, cursing himself for having one of his 'bluntly honest moments'—then wishing he had said nothing at all—though he can't just simply re-write the past and hope for the best. Before he can stop his blunt honest moment, it falls from his lips like a derailed train, "Are you using me to get close to Irvin sempai? He said you were."

The world kind of stills for a moment, Rivaille's eyes going from blank to vicious as if appalled by the idea that Eren had wasted Irvin's precious breathing air. He grounds his mind for a moment, trying to stop the onslaught of tears that might happen when the word 'Yes' falls from Rivaille's lips. Balling his hands into fists, he squares his shoulders, ready to run away and look like a complete fool.

"Later. I had fun, sempai."

Then he literally runs, though he knows Rivaille could easily run after him—but why would he? He's a guy. They're guys. Heck, Rivaille doesn't even like him.

He stops after awhile, lungs practically exploding from the exertion. He almost expects the sky to fall into a storm, to hear the clouds and skies scream out his pain—but nothing happens, the sky is sunny and the world moves forward without taking a step back to look at him. He falls to his knees, hands covering his face as he screams, people going out of their way to stay out of his.

"I can't stop. Keep going," he murmurs to himself, tears blurring his eye-sight—some part of him still hopes he'll see Rivaille running after him, but his sempai just doesn't do things like that.

He lets out a shaky breath.

_The worst part__,_ he thinks biting back another helpless sob as he rises to his feet, _is that_ _I have to get up tomorrow. I have to keep going, I'll have to face him again, I'll probably apologize and beg to have him back and_—he really does sob out at his final thoughts—_and I'll let him love Irvin, even if I'm being used, I'll accept it. I already do._

He's always hated in those damn sob stories where the girl always goes back, even though she clearly knows the guy is a complete asswipe. She's helplessly in love—it has always seemed so unrealistic to him, something that he'd never do, but here he is, helplessly letting his own heart be broken just so he can have a tiny bit—even if it's false and smudged—of Rivaille's love.

Sucking in a deep breath, he finds his way home, looking as composed as he did when he left.

Eren, in the end, has always been a good actor.

.

.

.

A/N: I won't have internet for two-or-so weeks... Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah. SOO I ALREADY HAVE MOST OF CHAPTER FOUR WRITTEN SO I WILL TRY TO UPDATE AS SOON AS I HAVE INTERNET AGAIN :DD


	4. Jean The Ass

A/N: i was going to put this as the beginning of chap 3... but Nomi was like NUUUUU so it is the beginning of chapter four. DRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMA. YESH! I personally love friendship!Eren/Jean. Ok. I know last chapter ended all dramatic and all and it's really weird for me to suddenly be like 'la-la happyness RADIATING GAYNESS ALL OVER' in this chapter. But... the genre doesss say 'humour' and I would like to stay true to my origins. Aren't I a little perfect bitch.

So yeah, THIS CHAPTER IS HAPPY, FLUFFY AND FULL OF SHIT—in making nonsense happen, truthfully. A bunch of shit thrown together. Mhhhhm.

.

.

; _tongue-tied_

.

.

"Why are you really dating him?" Irvin asks, low and voice vibrating throughout the library—Rivaille had checked four times before he agreed to have this conversation with Irvin—he's being overly cautious, he knows, and that's probably why Irvin is so suspicious. But then again he can't take any chances after Eren's outburst yesterday.

"Why?" He repeats the word with obvious distaste for its sound, sure he could simply just say 'because I like his eyes' or something as fake as possible, something shallow, something no one will dig deeper into—but Irvin isn't shallow like most people, it's too frustrating, honestly. He doesn't like to think about his feelings and now people are asking him about them.

The truth is simple, almost shallowly so.

He had seen Eren stalk him countless times before—the brunet was never really discreet—and he really never had any intention of getting close to the kid because he just doesn't mix well with overly hopeful people with bright green eyes that sparkle each time he even bothers to confirm the kids existence. It's annoying. He's never had someone waiting on his every word before, someone that honestly looks like they're in love with him. Growing up in a home with a dad that doesn't care and a mom too busy to breathe, he's never had anything like that, the attention that you receive from the people that should love you.

It isn't that he necessarily wants other people to pay attention to him excessively—nor does he require attention like that.

"What do you think the answer is?" With a cold demeanour he crosses his legs, looking out the window sitting beside him, the sky turning a dark bloody red as the sun falls behind the rising moon.

Irvin narrows his eyes for a second, cold and calculating, "You don't actually like him, then?"

It takes him a minute to process the question, to him it has never been an idea of whether or not he likes Eren: simply put, he wanted to see what's underneath those shining eyes—who Eren truly is, whether he's the shy Eren or the short-tempered rowdy boy. He couldn't help but think; who is Eren Yeager, really? When he watched those green orbs turn from a smoky green to a vibrant colour, emotions spilling over his persona like an open book.

Simple, really, Rivaille wants to crush all those happy love-dovey emotions and bring forth the darker ones.

"Maybe you don't think you like him," Irvin says slowly, contemplating his own words with heavy meanings hidden behind each word. Levi looks up at him lazily, eyes heavy with sleep-deprivation because he had been up all night contemplating this exact problem.

Does he really only want to crush Eren's happiness?

Sure he was almost—no not heart broken, he doesn't do heart broken—but disappointed Eren actually thought he was using him. Levi may not like Eren as much as Eren likes him, but he doesn't go around using peoples feelings for his own convenience.

"But you probably agreed to go out with the kid for a stupid reason like you hated how happy he looked."

_How he looked like he was honestly in love with me, the hope that he'll actually be able to make me his._ He wanted to crush those emotions, smother them and shatter them into shards of glass.

"And if I didn't?" Levi pushes on, opening a book slowly and flipping through the pages to have something to distract himself from looking at Irvin in conversations like these. He hates being understood; he absolutely hates it. "What if I honestly like the little shit?"

Irvin pauses, a surprised look on his face as he slowly smiles, a lazy kind smile that really doesn't suit Irvin all too much.

"Then, I guess I'd have to be happy for you."

.

.

.

"No" Jean says plainly as he attempts to slam the door closed on Eren's foot.

Eren's foot stays strong, intercepting Jean.

Jean groans.

"Eren, go away."

Eren attacks with pouty-puppy look.

Pouty-puppy look is 100% effective.

Jean grumbles something about 'stupid cheating assholes' and opens the door, letting Eren kick off his shoes and practically run all the way to the living room, diving into the couch and straddling the nearest pillow into his chest and sighing the loudest he possibly can—because Jean may be an asshole, but he does make a good listener.

(Cough, friend-zoned.)

"I'm not asking you what's wrong in paradise with you and your short-ass-boyfriend. Go away." There's really no tone, so Eren can obviously tell Jean does want to know and that he's only saying that because he's being a sour puss because Eren doesn't care about his opinions.

"Well, you see," Eren starts off with a long sigh.

"No seriously, I don't care." His asshole third proclaimed best-friends grunts in dismay. "Unless you broke up, then I care."

Eren growls, throwing the pillow straight at the back of Jean's head. "Stop being such a bitch and listen to my damn story, like fuck."

Jean lets out a pathetic whimper, crouching down on the ground in front of Eren and sighing reluctantly, "Okay. Go ahead."

Eren sits up, pillow held in his arms as he stares down at Jean with watering eyes, "Okay, so, today me and sempai—"

"Sempai and I, gosh even _I_ kn—"

"Shut the fuck up!" Eren growls, whipping the pillow against Jean's head, "What are you, stupid? Do you think I care about grammar right now?"

Jean glares, rubbing his (probably) bruised forehead.

Continuing, "So sempai and I"—all malicious intent radiating into the room—"Went on a date today, so it was really cold outside so I was like 'let us go to thee' aquarium, oh lovely boyfriend!' and then we—"

"—Wait, what's with the 1950's British accent?"

Eren glares, "So anyway, we went to the aquarium and had a great time, then IRVIN-SEMPAI WAS THERE! And on a normal day I would've been like 'Oh hey 'der little boy' but I'm like 99% sure Rivaille sempai is using me to get Irvin sempai to realize his feelings. That's just not cool, right? And then Irvin sempai is a total ass and says things about how like Hanji sempai and my boyfriend fucked and blah blah blah, then I got mad at sempai and ran away crying and I'm pretty sure he's going to cut off all contact with me tomorrow at school." He sucks in a deep breath, looking at Jean to see how his friend will react to his long ass story.

Jean blinks.

"You didn't actually say 'oh hey 'der little boy!' right?"

Eren scowls. "Can you not be serious for a second?"

"No." Jean says seriously, before sighing (for probably the 100th time since Eren's arrived (broke into his house)). "I asked you like twenty times to go away, but you didn't, so this is what you get."

"Ass wipe."

"Bitch tits."

"I hope you drown when I—"

"Look, Eren," Jean cuts off, reaching across the floor to snatch up the remote, flipping on the TV and turning his back to Eren, "If he's using you, then you should be happy you guys are breaking up. Find someone that likes you—" like me, Jean thinks pathetically, "—for you, all that girly bullshit Christa would say right now."

Eren pauses, contemplating Jean's advice—usually Jean is spot-on when it comes to understanding situations, making everything easier for Eren to understand (even though the guys an ass while he does it) but today, Jean seems bias. Eren frowns. "But I like him." He whines pitifully, "I don't care if he's using me—I... Just don't want to break up."

"Then what makes you think I'm going to pity you?" Jean snaps out, turning around and pointing straight at the door, "If you aren't going to listen to my advice and bitch around then leave."

"Did something crawl up your ass and die?" A pause, then, "Hey are you still dating that guy you met on Tumblr, Marco or whatever?"

Jean whimpers pathetically, falling forward and becoming a permanent log on his living room floor.

Eren kicks his ass.

"You haven't told me anything except 'I'm dating this guy online. He's cute.' Look, Jean, you have to be more detailed, that's how gay guys are."

Jean grunts into the floor, rolling onto his side and clutching the remote as if it's his life line. "He's... He's moving here."

"Excuse me?" Eren says, throwing his pillow to the side and jumping onto Jean's back, "This is great!" He narrows his eyes on Jean's pouting contemplative face, "Wait, why aren't you happy? Your boyfriend is moving here. Are you stupider than I thought?"

Jean makes a pathetic sound from the back of his throat, placing his forehead against the ground and letting out a long groan, "Yeah. I'm happy and all, but... I kind of somewhat like someone else too..." (Unbeknownst to Eren, Jean is looking at him with longing eyes).

"What?" Eren gasps, sounding truly really dumb and girly—and then he grabs the remote and smacks Jean's head with it, because in situations like these, only violence can fix things. "Bad! You can't just cheat what if he's secretly moving for you? Then you're being a real ass, if I may say so myself."

"Eren," Jean pauses for an awkward second, "Are you actually really dumb, or are you just really slow when understanding other people aside from yourself?"

"Both." Eren grunts, placing his full body weight onto Jean, and leaning his head onto his friends blond head, "Look, you might think you like this other person—it better not be Mikasa or Armin—but, you can't just do whatever is most convenient for you, you really liked Marco last time I checked."

"Wise words from the one about to get dumped."

Eren slams Jean's head into the floor.

.

.

.

"Attention class," the teacher says excitedly, clapping his hands together (Eren snorts, _fag_, he thinks) as he pulls down a poster with one long swipe, "Today the second years will be helping us and we'll make a joint thing for the school festival!"

Eren slowly sinks into his seat, eyes squeezed shut as he prays and prays that he won't end up with Rivaille's class. He's not mentally prepared for the break-up yet—nor will he ever be—but right now is a bit too soon, and what if someone overhears Rivaille breaking up with him? What if Rivaille breaks up with him in front of the class?

He nearly chokes on the thought, ignoring the worried looks Christa and Armin are giving him.

"We'll go to their classroom, alright, let's go."

Reluctantly, he does—though the whole way Ymir is dragging him with a wicked expression as if she knows he's having an internal battle, though, she's always been good at figuring out when Eren is at his lowest points in life—this moment, however, is possibly going to be the worst memory of his entire high school experience.

Of course—because life hates him, obviously—they do end up with his soon to be ex-boyfriend's class.

He shifts from foot to foot awkwardly as the teacher drones on and on about making a poll vote and other stuff that no one is really listening to because it's going to be awkward, a bunch of first years trying to avoid the second years so no one clashes.

However, he wasn't expecting as soon as the teacher dismisses them for Rivaille to wave him over with his finger. Eren visibly gulps, torn between hiding behind Ymir—which is a stupid choice because she'll just throw him to a pack of wolves—or going over there and not crying when Rivaille breaks his heart. With stiff military looking steps he makes his way in front of Rivaille's desk, stiffly standing.

"C—Can we do this later?" Eren asks timidly, ducking his head and biting his lip to keep himself from bursting out in tears.

Rivaille narrows his eyes, "Do what later, brat?"

"B—Break..." He swallows down the lump threatening to make him cry, "... Up..."

"Break-up? You think I'm going to break-up with you?"

Eren bobs his head, head snapping up with wide eyes when he realizes—

"Wait—you aren't? Why?"

Rivaille sighs, loudly, before reaching over his desk and snatching Eren's collar, dragging the timid-brunet towards him until their lips crash—quick and without anything else, but nethertheless, it sends electricity through Eren's body and fireworks exploding in his eyesight—the moment they pull away, he realizes something;

Ymir is whistling, low and impressed.

Christa is clapping whilst blushing.

Armin is swaying while muttering something like 'Oh no Mikasa is going to kill someone...'

Then there's the fact all the seniors are staring at Eren and Rivaille as if they just walked out of a porno movie.

"Ahem," the second year teacher coughs awkwardly, "No... No physical touching in school, boys."

Rivaille grunts his agreement, taking someone else's chair and pulling it beside him, looking up at Eren with a look like 'well?' that leaves Eren with no choice but to slump into the chair beside his still-his-boyfriend. It takes a moment before the class goes back to its natural flow, Zoe Hanji pulling up a chair on Rivaille's other side, and Ymir, Christa and Armin in front of them.

Simple. Easy. Until—

"Awww, I thought there'd be a messy break-up, Eren looked as if he had a stick up his ass as I dragged him here." Ymir says, voice obviously amused with the whole turn of events.

Armin pales visibly, "Mikasa is going to kill something."

"Oh, his fiancée?" Levi yawns, tilting his chair back. "She's always been a bitch, so if she has a problem she can fight with me."

Eren gags on air.

With a powerful perverted gleam, "I should stop reading BL."

Christa gives Zoe a scandalized look, and for a second Eren thinks she's going to reprimand the senior for admitting to reading porn so openly but then—

"One doesn't simply just stop reading yaoi," Christa says, shaking her head slowly, "Don't be silly, sempai."

Eren wrinkles his nose. "What the—"

"Oh a fellow pervert!" Zoe says with mock tears and clasping Christa's hands in hers, looking up to the sky, "I never met someone so young and so corrupted."

Ymir snorts, "You don't chat around on the internet very much, do you?"

Zoe glares. Levi snorts. Eren smiles.

Peace in paradise, he thinks for a moment, leaning closer to Rivaille's side with a small beautiful smile, maybe... sempai likes me, even if it's only a tiny bit.

.

.

.

Rivaille was his first love. And it started out cheesy, because it was love at first sight.

Rivaille had been reading a poetry book, lips pulled up into a smile, as he hummed a soft lullaby under his breath, Rivaille had just looked so peaceful—so aware of his place in the entire world, Eren had to stop, book held in his hands as his eyes widened, lips forming a small 'O' shape as a dusty rose splattered across his cheeks.

He had been captivated. Trapped. Sucked into a never ending vortex of want, need, lust.

3 years later, and Rivaille is still his first and last love—Eren likes to think they'll be together forever, and forever more—maybe it was fate; seeing Rivaille smile is a rare occasion, something that only happens when there's violence or crude humour, but it had been a rare peaceful smile. Eren had fallen in love with his smile first, the peaceful look as if he belongs in a sea of books, then his looks, then his odd personality.

Each thing making him fall deeper and deeper.

There's an infinite amount of reasons why he likes Rivaille, but no matter what, he can't think of his reasons being so in love with the male. He draws a complete blank, mind becoming a small void. Because there is no one reason to why he loves his sempai, he just does—like one breathes.

"Oi, Eren, stop smiling like that." Rivaille scowls out, book lightly hitting the brunets forehead, frowning at the dazed-creepy ass smile his boyfriend had chosen to adorn.

"Oh, sorry" Eren says, smiling cheekily instead as he leans his head onto Rivaille's shoulder, looking at the words sprawled across the pages of the book Rivaille is reading. "Ne... sempai, why did you kiss me?"

Letting out a long exasperated sigh, "So you wouldn't keep thinking dumb things all the time. Using you, as if I'd go low enough to use someone for personal gain. Now be quiet, you said you'd keep your trap shut."

_Not true_, Eren wants to sulk out, _I merely agreed to be quiet enough to let you read._

Pouting, he nuzzles his face into the crook of his boyfriend's neck, smirking to himself when Rivaille stiffens for a moment—shoulders going lax just as quickly.

It takes a whole moment, but a plan to capture back Rivaille's attention flashes into his mind; he should have known he'd be greedy for petting, and surely—no, most likely—this sudden confidence comes from the kiss, and how the school now acknowledges them as an official couple. Official. He couldn't have wished for anything more.

"Brat," Rivaille says calmly, but Eren can feel the unease radiating around the senior. "Stop smirking into my neck. What are you planning?"

"That book isn't even good." Eren says, huffing quite roughly against the showing skin, almost laughing out wickedly when Rivaille glares at him, "We should go somewhere."

"You're really annoying," Rivaille points out, pinching the bridge of his nose and sighing, "Fine. Where?"

"Uhhh..." Eren drawls, a blank coming to his mind, surely saying 'Can we go to your place?' Is waaaay too forward. Just maybe. "I'm... hungry?"

Rivaille narrows his eyes, "You better not suddenly change your mind again."

Eren merely laughs.

(Because, of course, later Eren changes his mind just when they're in front of subway.)

.

.

.

Jean first fell in love with Eren in their first year of middle school, years after he met Marco.

Marco had been a childhood friend that he met because their mothers tended to be social butterflies, Marco was always the kid he could conveniently play soccer with as he waited for his mother to finish her hour long chitchat with her best friend from grade three.

Eren had been different, like a fresh breath of air. Maybe he's a masochist, considering when him and Eren first met they punched each other in the face and promised to always hate each other.

Not only is he a masochist, he's a jerk.

Marco and him always kept in contact, maybe because Marco doesn't like losing friends or maybe because Jean just didn't want to forget their special little secret kiss underneath the largest tree in the park, despite them both being boys—maybe he really does like Marco more than he thinks, but Marco had always been convenient to him, something that's always there. That's why he he asked Marco out, after a year of loving Eren one-sidedly as he watched his crush fall in love with an short ugly senior, he needed comfort, and Marco is just that.

It's horrible, of course it is, because he wasn't planning to tell Eren at all. A slip up. That's what it was, a slip of the tongue because the thought 'would Eren get jealous?' Echoing in his mind. Of course Eren didn't get jealous, he was happy, excited, and acted gay as fuck.

Eren doesn't love him—let alone like him—and so, Jean has no reason to hold on anymore. Eren had been right, he is being completely unfair to Marco who does love him.

"I guess," Jean pauses, looking up at the tree he had his first kiss under, the tree where he told Eren he's dating Marco, the tree that started all his misery and all his happiness. "I guess, this is me, letting go."

He just never thought he'd have to let go, he always had a smiggen of hope that just maybe, just maybe, Eren could love him too.

He never knew it hurt so much to let go.

"Letting go of what?" A soft voice asks from behind him, and Jean almost falls forward, swinging around and pulling his scarf over his nose. "Jean don't tell me you're breaking up with me—"

"No, I'm not," Jean laughs, trying to hide the sadness in his voice, the bitter sense of dread filling his stomach. He isn't exactly ready to face things like this yet, he still needs to let go of Eren completely so he can just love Marco and only Marco. "Quite the opposite, actually."

Marco's eyes light up, just ever so slightly as he takes a step forward, "You don't even seem surprised seeing me, no fun."

"Right," Jean says shaking his head, "Oh hey you got taller again."

"That's nice," Marco says laughing softly, looking around the area before he turns back to Jean, grabbing the front of the green scarf and pulling Jean down to kiss him quickly.

"What was that for?" If he didn't see Marco's bright, happy eyes, he might have just started laughing out of nervousness, truly he wasn't expecting to see Marco here of all times, but maybe fate is rewarding him—telling him he made the right choice, if anything.

"For choosing me," Marco says lightly, one arm wrapping around one of Jean's, "Over Eren, I believe."

"How did you—"

"I do talk to Armin still," Marco huffs, "And Armin is smart."

"Aren't you... I don't know, angry?" Jean asks carefully, he's watched enough Korean dramas to know this is when the girl slaps the guy and storms off and then the guy has to go chase her begging for forgiveness and—

"No," Marco says shrugging, "I mean, you did choose me, didn't you?"

Oh, Jean thinks, eyes going wide as he reaches out to cup Marco's face, maybe I have always just loved him.

"There's people," Marco scolds lightly—but making no clear effort to move.

"Let them watch."

Because right now, to him, Marco is the only person in the world. If h regrets it later, he can come back underneath this tree and remember everything. Maybe he was only loving Eren out of convenience sake, because he missed Marco, or maybe he only loved Eren because Eren is someone he can never have. Or maybe he really only did ask Marco out cause he was lonely.

_It doesn't matter,_ Jean thinks and then kisses Marco.

.

.

.

"You know, just yesterday you were trying to kick me out of your house and now you're breaking into mine."

"I'm not coming in, I just want to tell you something." Jean says quickly, shoving his foot in the crevice of the door, "So listen because I dealt with your whining about your boyfriend using you or some shit—I don't remember and I don't care."

Eren frowns, "Be quick, sempai is waiting for me."

"Shut up bitch tits, Marco is waiting for me over there too, they can wait so I can solve this mess out and have absolutely no regrets, life is too short for crappy regrets like liking someone as asshole-ish and stupid as you." Jean snaps, Eren blinks.

"Liking me, _what_—"

"I said be quiet, okay look, I liked you since the beginning of middle school for reasons I don't even know. But I decided I didn't actually probably like you, I was just liking you cause you beat me up all the time and I was lonely because Marco was gone."

"You've lost me." Eren adds on flatly.

Jean glares.

"So anyway, I don't like you anymore and to make sure I don't like you anymore"—Jean grabs the front of Eren's shirt, dragging their faces together just as Rivaille comes up behind them trying to tell Eren to hurry—"I'm going to kiss you."

Eren goes pale, "J—Jean let's not do anything too rashmmmmhpph—"

The kiss is quick and Jean pulls away practically puking—_yup, definitely only liked him cause I was lonely,_ Jean thinks proudly as he rubs his mouth clean of any Eren germs—"So now I have no regrets."

"That's great, shit face," a bored voice drawls, arms crossed as he steps in front of Eren, "Then you won't mind me giving you a black eye or two. No regrets, right?"

"Sempai this isn't what it looks like! Jean was molesting me, I really had no say in this—"

"I was right behind you, brat, I know."

Said blond male about to marry death at the hands of the most violent and rude senior in the entire school, backs up, holding out his hands to defend himself, "We—Well now you know I don't like Eren and—"

"Ho? Are you going to shit yourself? Maybe you should have thought your plan out a bit better," Rivaille says blandly, cracking his fist mostly for show as Jean shakes, looking towards Eren as a last attempt of desperation.

Eren just shrugs, eyes sparkling as Rivaille readies to kill Jean.

The shit is probably happy his boyfriend is mad at me for smooching up Eren, Jean thinks miserably just as a fist meets his nose.

.

.

.

"Maybe you went a little too hard on him... Jean has always been pretty stupid." Eren says slowly, poking at Jean's twitching body with Marco.

(_'Oh hey, you Marco?'_ Eren had asked when the brunet came up, kicking Jean's lifeless body to see if he's okay ( Eren is starting to think kicking and stepping on your unconscious boyfriend isn't really normal... _probably suppressed anger,_ Eren thought as he watched in mirth as Marco wiped his shoe in Jean's hair).

_'Oh yeah, are you Eren?'_ Marco smiled pleasantly.

_A demon,_ Eren thought in fear.)

"It's fine." Marco says smiling—and Eren can't help but think Marco is much to good for a dumb ass like Jean—Marco then sighs, "I warned him not to do anything stupid enough to make anyone angry."

"Well..." Eren says hesitantly, "I guess I don't need to beat him up later now."

Rivaille grunts, "He could use another reminder later."

"Sempai..." Eren says, looking up at his boyfriend with his usual puppy-love bright green eyes, "Are... Are you angry that he kissed me? It isn't a big deal, Jean and I kissed before, when he punched me in the face and I tripped and we kissed."

Rivaille kicks the body again, eyes turning red.

"Is that so..."

"Haven't you and Armin kissed before too?" Marco chirps in happily.

(_He's a demon,_ Jean's mind cries out, _demon, he's going to get Armin killed_),

"Oh yeah, a few times, because I wanted to kiss someone and Armin kind of looks like a girl and Mikasa is too scary, and then once for a dare, another time because I was crying and Armin didn't know what to do, but we don't like each other."

"You two sound close," Marco wistfully sighs.

"_Too_ close." Rivaille murmurs grumpily.

.

.

.

A/n: I didn't have time or the tech to get rach-noona to correct this chapter ;_; so Ill ask her to beta it later when I get back to normal wifi huhhuu SO TILL THEN IF YOU SPOT ANY TYPOS IGNORE THEM LMFAO


End file.
